Since 1992 the Mercury Prize has been awarded to the best British album of the year, meaning an album created by a citizen of the U.K. and Ireland. It's become one of the biggest honors a British musician can receive and can also boost an album's sales in the UK, especially if it wins.

Last year Sampha won, the year before it was Skepta, and the year before that it was Benjamin Clementine. The Mercury Prize started out strong with Primal Scream's Screamadelica winning in 1992 and Suede's self-titled debut winning in 1993. There have been lots of great artists who have also won since, including PJ Harvey (the only artist to win it twice), Pulp, Elbow, Portishead, Franz Ferdinand, and others. Although they don't always get it right and there have been some forgettable winners as well.

Mercury Prize 2018 Nominees:

Lily Allen: No Shame Arctic Monkeys: Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino Everything Everything: A Fever Dream Everything Is Recorded: Everything Is Recorded Florence + the Machine: High as Hope Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds: Who Built the Moon? King Krule: The Ooz Novelist: Novelist Guy Nadine Shah: Holiday Destination Jorja Smith: Lost and Found Sons of Kemet: Your Queen Is a Reptile Wolf Alice: Visions of a Life